Pinky Promise
by ultra Mag
Summary: Dick makes a special promise to Lian.


A/N: I was bored and I wanted to write something with Lian in it. Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: DC owns all of them.

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The streetlights flashed upon the young girl's skin, as the car passed by. She was soundly asleep in an uncomfortable position in the passenger's seat; head bobbing at every bump and pothole, leg tangled in the seatbelt.

Dick couldn't help but smile at how comical and awkward she looked. He turned his attention back to road and steered the car around a corner.

Of course, Roy never had any trouble finding a sitter for Lian. Practically everyone that knew her would volunteer. Yet, Dick was slightly surprised when Roy called him first. Without even thinking, Dick agreed to watch Lian while Roy was working.

Dick loved Lian, but God, that girl was a handfull. You would think that at something called _Disney On Ice_ kids would sit still and watch the show. What a misconception. Dozens of small children would run up to the edge of the ice rink to shake hands with the Giant Skating Mickey Mouse. Lian would pull away from his hand and be lost in the group of kids. Dick had an instinctive weariness when it came to crowds. There might be child predators and rapists everywhere. And it particularly annoyed him when he saw lazy parents letting their kids run off. He thought of scolding them, but was more worried for Lian's safety.

And when he would finally reach her, Lian would smile up at Dick, as if she was inept and unaware of danger. Just like her dad.

Dick pulled into the apartment building's parking lot. He got out of the car and made his way around to the passenger's side. Unbuckling Lian first, he pulled her into his arms. Her arms dangled and her head lolled back like a doll's body, as he carried her up the stairwell.

When Dick first arrived to pick her up that day, she would tell him jokes that he would normally think that a four-year-old wouldn't know. Dick knew he shouldn't treat her like a stereotype. This little girl had been through a lot. And sometimes that worried him.

Trying to hold Lian without dropping her, Dick awkwardly unlocked and opened the front door. The apartment was dark, but he could easily make his way through to her room. He wasn't used to the dark, he was used to the sense of Roy's home.

Roy and Dick had known eachother for half the lives. Perhaps the thing that made them so close was that they had helped eachother make that transition from teenager to adult, even though they didn't completely have childhoods. Their childhoods, their innocence, had been taken away from them. And Dick didn't want that to happen to Lian. He's make sure of it.

Dick pulled back the covers to Lian's bed and laid her body down. She didn't even move or open her eyes. Her body looked to small for her bed, Dick noticed. He wrapped the covers around her and gazed at her face.

He remembered when she was a baby, and he saw her for the first time. Her hand was so tiny, she could wrap he whole fist on to his pinky finger. Roy was so torn about having a child to take of. Roy felt like he wasn't ready to grow up. Dick told him that it was going to be alright, and that they would work through it together, even though neither of them knew how to take care of a baby. Dick thought Roy had done a damn good job of it. Roy always pulled through and took Life as it comes. People admired that.

Dick bent down to push a lock of stray hair behind Lian's ear, then gave her a kiss on the forehead.

However, Dick wasn't completely happy with what Roy had created. Of course, Dick loved Lian and Roy, but how could Roy be so careless and expose an innocent child into Their World. The things that Dick had seen in their line of work... The _unimaginative_ horrors Dick had felt while being a hero. Roy has now exposed Lian to that. Lian hadn't seen anything yet, but she will. She was destined to be hurt.

Dick wasn't Lian's parent, but he wished he could protect Lian from all the evils. It was natural for a kid to want to grow up like their hero, but what happens when their dad is their hero? Dick couldn't let that happen. It was too late for him to turn back, but he couldn't let Lian choose the path her dad had followed. The first part of being a hero is protecting the innocent.

"Uncle Dick?"

Lost in though, Dick jumped at the quiet voice.

"Uncle Dick, what're you doing?" Lian rubbed her eye and propped herself on her elbow.

"Uh, nothin, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."

"Do you know when Daddy'll be back?" She ignored him and sat fully up.

"I'm sure he'll be home in the morning." Dick tried to believe his own words. "Now, go to sleep. It's like midnight."

Lian laid back on her pillow, her eyes still wide-awake. "Did you have fun tonight?" Her voice sounding sleepy.

"Of course I did." 

"D'you think Daddy will be able to go next time?" She continued.

Dick sighed. "I don't know. I'll ask him when he gets home. Now go to sleep."

Her serene expression changed to disappointed. "Does Daddy not like me anymore?"

This question shocked Dick. "Lian, sweetheart, why would you ask that?"

"Cuz Daddy's never home. And I always get stuck with a nanny when he's away." She complained. "Daddy likes working more than me. Just like _mom_."

Dick sat on the edge of her bed and put one arm around Lian. "Your dad loves you more than anything in the world. He works to take care of you. Your dad tries to make you happy by getting nannies for you. Everything he does, he does for you. And when he gets home tomorrow, he's goin' to make you breakfast and we'll all watch cartoons."

"Do you promise?" Lian was serious enough to fold her arms. Dick nodded.

"I pinky promise." He said lifting his little finger. Lian wrapped hers around his. "I promise that your dad will always be there for you. For us."

Lian beamed; her white teeth shined in the dim light. Dick ruffled her hair. "Now, go to sleep, kiddo." 

She quickly plopped her body down and tightly shut one eye, opening the other to look at him. "Am I sleeping?"

He chuckled and gave her one last goodnight kiss. "Goodnight sweetheart."

"G'night!" She playfully shouted. He smiled and shut her bedroom door.

He loved Lian too much to make her lose hope in her dad. Dick would make sure that she would never go through what he did. He didn't make promises only to not keep them. Especially pinky promises. 


End file.
